Shade-roller



UNTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

STEWVART HARTSIIORN, OF SHORT HILLS, NEV JERSEY.

SHADE-ROLLER.

SPECIFICATION `forming part of Letters Patent No. 425,787, dated April15, 1890. Application filed April 9, 1889. Serial No. 306,523. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, STEWART HARTSHORN, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Short I'Iills, in the county of Essex and State of NewJersey, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement inShade-Rollers, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making apart of this speciication.

My invention relates to rollers for windowshades formed of paper,straw-board, or other similar fibrous material; and it consists of anovel construction of the roller, by which it may be more easily andcheaply made, and will possess greater strength and be better adaptedfor the purpose for which it is intended.

Much difliculty has been experienced heretofore in making rollers ofpaper or similar fibrous substance on account of the nature of thematerial. It has been found impossible to make an ordinary tube of paperof the desired diameter and length for a shade-roller and have it strongand firm enough for the purpose; and, moreover, such a tube is apttowarp or twist, and thus interfere with the perfect action of the roller,and particularly with the operation of the spring inthe case of aspring-roller. In my improved construction the roller is formed of twoor more separate distinct tubes or sections placed one within the other,so as to form a roller of the desired thickness, and the paper tubes arelongitudinally slotted or not closed along their length, by which theyare more easily constructed than when the tube is a complete closedtube.

In the drawings illustrating my improvement, in which like lettersindicate like parts, Figure l is a view of the complete rollerconstructed according to my improvement. Fig. 2 is a view of a portionof the roller, showing the construction of the same when the inner tubeis made open. Fig. 3 is the same as Fig. 2, showing the innerA tubeformed in sections or halves. Fig. 4 shows my improved constructionapplied to a combination or extension roller, in which the roller isformed in two sections or lengths arranged to slide toward or away fromeach other.

The drawings illustrate the roller formed with two tubes; but it will beevident that the number of tubes may be increased, if desired. The outertube or section B, which forms the outside of the roller, isalways ofpaper, strawboard, or other similar fibrous material, and may be of anythickness desired. Instead of being a complete closed tube, the tube isslotted along its entire length, or with the opening or slot h betweenthe edges. By this mode of construction the tube is more easily formedthan when made in a closed tube, and may be readily'rolled into shape orformed in any convenient manner. The opening or slot b may be of anywidth found desirable, and the two edges of the tube may be broughtclose together, if it should be desired. By this mode of constructionwith the open slot the tube can expand or contract, so as to fit tightlyover the inner tube A. Vithin this outer tube B is placed the inner tubeA, as shown more particularly in Figs. 2 and 3. This tube when made ofpaper is preferably longitudinally slotted or formed the same as thetube B, or with an opening or slot d between the edges, as shown in Fig.2. This opening a in the inner tube should be very narrow or the edgesof the tube brought close together, so that the slot or opening will notinterfere with the action of the spring within, and, moreover, careshould be taken not to vhave the opening ct in line with the opening bin the youter tube, so that nothing can enter the cavity of the roller.If desired, this inner tube A may be of thin wood or similar materialand constructed in the form of a complete closed tube, as in Fig. l, ofa size to iit within the tube B.

In place of being made closed or open, as above described, the tube Amay be constructed in two or more separatelongitudinal sections orparts, as will be seen from Fig. 3, where the tube is shown in twosections or halves. When constructed in this manner, the separatesections are rst'put together, so as to form the complete tube, and theninserted into the outer tube B, when the sections will be securely heldtogether by the outer tube, and no other fastening will be necessary.

The tube A, whether of paper, wood, or other materials, constructed inany of the methods above described, is inserted into one end of theouter tube B, as shown in Figs. 2-

and 3, and slid along until the one tube is IOO entirely within theother, as is seen in Figs. 1 and 4, the outer slotted paper tube B eX-panding sufficiently to allow the tube A to slide along easily and yetmaintaining a firm enough hold on the latter to keep it in place. lf itshould be found desirable to fasten the two tubes together,alittle gluemaybe placed on the outer surface of the tube A before the latter isinserted into the tube B.` The .two tubes thus constructed and puttogether,

with the ordinary paper roller, while possessing all the advantages ofthe latter. If desired, to strengthen the roller thus formed, metallicbands C may be placedV over the outer tube at the ends and along thelength of the same, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4. These bands C, which aremerely sections of a closed metallic tube, are slipped over the ends ofy the roller and placed along on the latter as often as may be foundnecessary. The bands C at the ends may be used to fasten the end plateor other attachments to the roller.

The shade is attached to the roller in anyI convenient manner, as byspring clasps or clips or any other suitable faste lng device.

My improved roller is particu arly adaptable to a combination orextension roller in which the roller is formed of two ormore sectionsjoined by metallic bands or tubes, as in Fig. 4, so that the sectionscan slide toward or away from each other to vary the length of theroller. In such construction the band or tube joining the sectionsshould be long enough to allow the necessary movement in and out of thesections of the roller.

On the inner surface of the metallic tube or band C is a projecting lipc, which slides in the slot b and insures the slots in the differentsections always being in line with one another and prevents the sectionsturning in the bands C, so as to interfere with the attachment of theshade to the roller.

By reason of the elastic iiexible nature of the mode of construct-ingthe same and its smooth surface the sections of the roller will readilyand freely slide within the metallic bands and yet completely fill thelatter, so as to be held tightly by the same.

While my improvement relates more particularly to shade-rollers, it isapplicable to all rollers upon which curtains, maps, &c., are hung.

I do not claim, broadly,A a tube slotted longitudinally throughout itsentire length when made of any material, as such construction isembraced in the application filed by me on the 28th day of February,1889, and numbered Serial No. 301,579; but

l. A paper shade-roller formed of separate detached tubes of paper orsimilar material, placed one within the other and having the outer tubeof paper longitudinally slotted, whereby contraction and ,expansion maybe evenly distributed, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a shade-roller, the roller formed of the inner tube A and theouter tube B, of paper or similar material, longitudinally slotted,whereby contraction and expansion may be evenly distributed,substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In a shade-roller, the roller formed of the inner tube A and theouter tube B, of paper or other similar material, longitudinallyslotted, whereby contraction and expansion may be evenly distributed andprovided with the metallic bands C, as and for the purpose set forth.

4. In a shade-roller, the combination of the outer tube B, of paper orother similar material, longitudinally slotted, whereby contraction andexpansion may be evenly distributed, and the inner tube A, constructedin separate sections and arranged and adapted to be held together by theouter tube, as and for the purpose described.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York,this 2d day of January, A. D. 1889.

STEWART HARTSHORN.

Witnesses:

GUsrAVUs W. RAwsoN, CHARLES E. J oHNsoN.

